A proposed £2.5 billion windfarm off the Suffolk coast is to create up to 80 new jobs.
Scottish Power Renewables has contracted Great Yarmouth-based Seajacks to transport and install the foundation jackets of its East Anglia ONE project.
The jack-up firm’s wind turbine foundation and installation vessel Scylla will be carrying out the bulk of the work.
Marine engineering specialist Van Oord has also been recruited as part of the deal.
The contract will support 140 current positions with Seajacks, and allows the company to create up to 75 new jobs.
Seajacks will also recruit five new local apprentices for the project.
The Scylla vessel, which has 105m legs and is capable of working in water depths of up to 65m, is expected to be used for at least six months, starting in April 2018.
Deck space is 5,000 square metres and it has a load capacity of just under 9,000 tonnes.
The Scylla will work with Van Oord’s Svanen vessel, which recently installed the monopiles and transition pieces for the Burbo Bank Extension project in Liverpool Bay.
The three-legged steel jackets, which are more than 65 metres tall and weigh more than 845 tonnes, support the turbine towers, nacelle and blades.
East Anglia ONE is located in the southern North Sea, approximately 45km southeast of the town of Lowestoft.
When completed in 2020 it will generate enough electricity to power 500,000 homes per year.
Scottish Power Renewables claim that the company is on target to deliver more than 50 per cent of UK content across the life of the project.
The project will be the most cost efficient offshore windfarm ever to confirm construction, according to the green energy firm.
Jonathan Cole, managing director of Offshore Wind at Scottish Power Renewables, said the project will support local jobs while offering the best value for money thanks to a competitive auction process run by the Government.
The company secured a deal of £119 per MWh during the tender – more than 15% lower than other offshore wind projects in construction elsewhere in the UK.
Mr Cole added: “East Anglia ONE continues to make excellent progress.
“We are now starting preparations for the onshore work, as well as ensuring all of the plans are in place for the offshore work.
“The project will be the best value offshore windfarm ever constructed, at the same time as delivering industry-leading levels of UK content.
“We are proud that the project is encouraging investment and supporting highly skilled jobs in Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Hull and Belfast.”
Recommended for you
